SEATTLE (AP), Mar 12 - While their students can earn anything from an A to an F for their school performance, nearly every American teacher gets one of two grades: unsatisfactory or meets expectations. And almost every teacher earns a passing grade.

That is about to change in Washington and many other states where more nuanced teacher evaluation systems are being developed. The new evaluation systems are at least partly in response to the federal Race to the Top competition for school dollars.

Last year, a handful of Washington school districts were given money and help to update both teacher and principal evaluations.

To give teachers and principals more useful feedback, the new system will grade them on a four-point scale. Eight school districts and one coalition of smaller districts in eastern Washington are piloting new evaluation systems this spring and during the next school year.